Chefs Li Pi-chi, right, and Lin Yung-jui, lecturers in Tzu Hui Institute of Technology’s Department of Food and Beverage Management, display the medals they won at the First Asian Master Chefs Competition in Pingtung County on May 16.慈惠醫專餐飲科講師李碧琪（右）與林永瑞五月十六日於屏東縣展示兩位廚師在菲律賓舉辦的馬尼拉亞洲美食比賽上取得的獎項。

Photo: Yeh Yung-chien, Liberty Times照片：自由時報記者葉永騫

The winning teams and individuals for the First Asian Master Chefs Competition in Manila, a culinary competition organized by the Chinese International Gastronomers’ Association (CIGA) and the Manila Hotel at the end of April, were announced at the beginning of May.

Li Pi-chi and Lin Yung-jui, lecturers in Tzu Hui Institute of Technology’s Department of Food and Beverage Management, won gold medals in the Chinese and Western cuisine categories respectively, while the Taiwan team won the Asian State Banquet Master Chef and Asian State Banquet Chef awards. The two teachers are sharing their experience overseas with their students in hopes that their students may one day surpass them.

Li has worked as assistant master chef at the Grand Hi Lai Hotel, the Splendor Kaohisung, and Hotel Royal Chiben, and was awarded a gold medal at a culinary competition held to greet Expo 2010 Shanghai China. He is relatively well known in Western culinary circles. Lin has worked as assistant master chef at the Grand Hi Lai Hotel and master chef at I-Shou University’s Meiwei Restaurant. He won a special gold medal at the World Golden Chef Competition and is a renowned chef of Chinese cuisine. Both of them were hired to serve as lecturers in Tzu Hui Institute of Technology’s Department of Food and Beverage Management, where they hope to impart their culinary expertise to their students.

At the end of April, the two teachers formed a team made up of chefs from southern Taiwan to go to Manila for the competition. Altogether there were 70 chefs from 13 countries competing in the contest, including chefs from Japan, Korea, the Philippines, China and France. The Taiwan team won the Asian State Banquet Master Chef and the Asian State Banquet Chef awards. Li won a gold medal for his wasabi chicken wrap and potato mousse, while Lin won the contest’s top award with his “moon shining on the East,” all of them displaying extraordinary culinary skills.

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. culinary adj.

廚藝的；烹飪的 (chu2 yi4 de5; peng1 ren4 de5)

例: As a culinary expert she is often invited to critique the top restaurants in the nation.

(她身為一位廚藝專家經常受邀評論全國頂級餐廳。)

2. master chef n. phr.

主廚 (zhu3 chu2)

例: This restaurant is looking to hire a new master chef.

(這家餐廳正在尋找新主廚。)

3. wasabi n.

山葵 (shan1 kui2)

例: Japan has to import wasabi from Taiwan, China, and New Zealand because demand is so high.

(日本因為對山葵的需求過高，所以得從台灣、中國、紐西蘭等國家進口。)

Li says the reason he was successful in the culinary competition was because of his creativity — adding wasabi to Western cuisine — which created a unique flavor that received numerous accolades from international judges.

Lin, for his part, combined lamb ribs with salted eggs, roasting them together to make for a spectacular flavor, an innovation displaying the unique flavors of Chinese cuisine.